Air Products, Kingsport Tennessee - Executive Summary |
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Executive Summary Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Kingsport, Tennessee Propylene Storage, Fill Plant 1. Accidental release prevention and emergency response policies: At this facility, we store propylene, and transfer the propylene into portable cylinders. Propylene, in the amounts handled and stored by our facility, is considered hazardous by the EPA. It is our policy to adhere to all applicable Federal and state rules and regulations. Air Products manages the safety of the regulated processes by means of operating procedures, equipment testing and inspections, safety devices (e.g., alarms, shutdowns, instrumentation, relief devices) inherent in the design of this facility and other controls and systems designed to prevent accidental releases of hazardous chemicals. Safe work practices and training of our personnel supplement the inherent safe design of the plant. Our emergency response program is based upon OSHA?s HAZWOPER regulation. The emergency response plan includes procedures for the notification of the local fire authority and Hazardous Materials unit so that appropriate measures can be taken by local emergency responders to control accidental releases. This document has been prepared in accordance with the EPA?s Risk Management Plan regulation (40 CFR, Part 68). The substances and processes considered during the preparation of this RMP and the scenarios described were selected based on criteria established in the regulation. 2. The stationary source and regulated substances handled: The primary purpose of this facility is the storage of propylene and the transfer of same into portable cylinders. The propylene is used by Air Products? customers for a variety of applications such as a fuel for heating and metal processing. The propylene is delivered into the propylene storage by the propylene supplier. Portable cylinders are filled individually by weight on a scale. There is no chemical reaction involved. The process is strictly the t ransfer of a liquefied petroleum gas from a large storage container into smaller individual portable cylinders. The capacities of the cylinders range from approx. 20 pounds up to 100 pound cylinders. During this process, no products or wastes are either created nor consumed. The fill system is equipped with a recycle valve that directs the propylene stream back to the storage tank when each cylinder is filled. As a result, no propylene is vented to the atmosphere during the normal operation of the system. The regulated substance handled at this facility is the pure, single product, Propylene, a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), which is a flammable gas. The maximum amount of this substance at this facility is: ? 43775 pounds of the flammable gas, Propylene 3. The worst-case release scenario(s) and the alternative release scenario(s), including administrative controls and mitigation measures to limit the distance for each reported scenario: The worst-case scenario (WCS) as de fined by the EPA, associated with the Propylene process at the facility is a catastrophic failure in the storage tank, resulting in a vapor cloud explosion (VCE). The entire propylene tank inventory of 43,775 pounds is assumed to be released instantaneously into the atmosphere at the tank location, ignited, and resulting in a VCE. The maximum distance to the flammable endpoint of a 1 psi overpressure wave reaches receptors off site. Although we have numerous controls to prevent such releases and to manage their consequences, no credit for active mitigation measures was taken into account in evaluating this WCS. The alternative case scenario?s (ACS) for the propylene at this facility is a vapor cloud explosion resulting from the failure of a transfer hose from the delivery truck to the propylene storage tank, resulting in a release rate of 1,390 pounds per minute, based on the tanker pump output of 100 gallons per minute. The maximum distance to the EPA defined flammable endpoint of 1 psi reaches receptors off site. 4. The general accidental release prevention program and specific prevention steps: The facility developed prevention program elements based on the Federal EPA?s Accidental Release Prevention Plan, and OSHA?s Process Safety Management (PSM) regulation. This facility was designed and constructed to comply with applicable state and industry codes. 5. Five-year accident history: There have been no accidents or accidental releases of Propylene in the past five years, that could have had off-site consequences. 6. The emergency response program: The facility?s emergency response program is based upon OSHA?s HAZWOPER standard. At this site, employees are trained to recognize emergencies and initiate emergency response from outside agencies. They have been trained to OSHA?s First Responder Awareness Level. The employees receive annual refresher training in their role in the emergency plan. Emergency response activities have also been coordin ated with the Kingsport City Fire Department for fires related to the Propylene process. Periodic inspections and/or drills are conducted with this agency to review the effectiveness of our emergency procedures. 7. Planned changes to improve safety: This facility resolves recommendations from PHA?s and incident investigations, some of which may result in modifications to the ;plant design and operating procedures. |